The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1887-11-03

the other day. What a jolly, generous,
mothcrly old soul he is. His face grows
roster rs he grows older, and as he laughs
while engaging i'll conversation, as he fro
qucntly does, his great fat belly shakes like
bowl of Jelly" He docs a great deal of
business at Washington, and he has been so
long in public life that he knows every one.
Hc makes moro newspaper material than
any other man in tho United States, and il
ono could have an index to tho newspapers
which have been published in this country
during tho last twenty-five years there would
be more references opposite Buffers name
than that of any other man.
Gen. Roger \. Pryor sat beside Butler in
the supreme court on the day referred 10
above. Butler is not handsome and Pryor
i, uSlicr than Butler He is as thin as
B:ltlcr i, fat, and his face is as stern az But
lcr's i, jolly. Buffers complexion is fair.
Pryor's is dark; his thick manc of hair, which
curls Il, it falls upon his coat collar, is as
black as a ravens wing, and it shines like
oiled ebony. Butler seldom looks sober. and
never appears very fierce Pryor could scare
the devil into fits if he chose to do so, ard he
has habit of corrugating his chin and fore
head like n zinc lined wash board when he is
in meditation, and his eyes move from ono
rolling" Pryor is over six feet high. He is
as straight az a string and is full of nervous
activity He talks well, makes an e1-
cellent speech in deep chest tones
and he is considered OF the best
lawyers in the country lie is man
with history, ard he first turned up in
national politics as President Picrcc's special
commissioner to Greece in 1853. lie dabbled
in the law shortly after he graduated from
college ten years before this. dropped it and
turned his attention to editorial work. Ne
edited q political journal after he came back
from Greece known as The South, and then
did work on The Washington States. lie was
in congress before tho war, was member OF
the Confederate congress and brlgadlcr
general i'll the Confederate army. After the
war was over he vent to Tennessee, and from
thence drifted to New York 1t was in Ten
nessee, think, that friend met him while
he was in a fit Of tho blues and told him he
OUGHT to 20 to New York city and practice
law. Pryor replied that he did not know
much about the law, but his friend said that
that made no difference in -hc New York
practice and advise! :a.t:l To 50 anyhow. He
took the advice, went to the metropolis, and
for several years had rather hard time of
it. Ono day a man came into his office ana
asked for Cen Pryor. Pryor was startled,
and he was more surprised when the man
continued
II wish, Gen. Pryor. to retain you in
law suit, which will come up IN the supreme
court tomorrow.
He then explained his case, and asked
Pryor what his fec would be. Pryor did not
know what to say He thought he ought to
have a hundred dollars, but lie feared the
man might think it too much and he might
lose the case While he strokel his long
chin in deep meditation the man said:
81 will give you what l agreed TO pay
nv other counsel if that will satisfy
YOU. am to pay him $500 down and 500
when the case is tried" Gen. Pryor replied
that he thought that would be sufficient, and
he acted rs though he had been accustomed
to receiving 81 900 fees every day for years
back. He tried the case and tried it well. He
throw his whole soul into his speech, electro
fled the court and won. He attracted atten-
ton bv his effort, and since then he has had
nil the business that he could do. He will
not make a fortune out of the Anarchist
cases, but he has added to his reputation.
met DR.. Burnett. the husband of Frances
Hodgson Burnett. the authoress, in an anti
ouarian book store recently. Hewas looking
over some rare booi, plates which he was
about to buy to add to his remarkable colec-
ton of this character. He is u bright eyed
brunette of between 80 and 40 years of age,
and is one of the eminent oculists of this city.
/ asked him rs to his wife, and he told INC
that Mrs Burnett is now i'll Florence Italy,
where she will put the children to school.
The Burnett children are two boys--bright
eyed, blonde haired little fellows, just enter
ing their teens. They look r!orc like their
f,+b MrS OF
evidently believes in giving them chance at
the language while they arc young. In the
meantime Mrs. Burnett has nothing new on
hand in the way of work, and she is rot turn
ing out very much manuscript L imagine
tho trip which she takes now has to do with
her health as much as with the education of
her boys.
The two civil service commissioners. Edger-
ton and Oberly, have been having the kind
of time that the monkey and the parrot had
during the old woman's absence, as told in
the story, and they hardly smile now when
they pass by They arc as widely separated
In their characters as the poles, and they mix
no better than oil and water. They ere both
nice fellows, too, but with difference.
Edgerton is all old style gentleman. lie be
lieves in tho principles of Andrew Jacksons
democracy, and he is proud of having called
upon jackson before he went west to make
his fortune. Hc is honest to the core and he
calls a spade spade. lie was great friend
Of Tilden's, and he and Tom Hendricks slept
for o time in the same political bed. There
IS no moro courtly man in public life than
Edgerton, and there is no man Of his ago in
tho country who has more activity and vim.
He is as straight us Norwegian pine and no
wears straight stove pipe Of hat, and
great old fashioned stock which makes him
look even moro perpendicular than he is. He
does not like the iconoclastic tendencies Of
modern politics any moro than he does of
modern dress, and his beaver is of the same
style as that which prevailed when Frank
Pierce was president and Edgcrton was a
young member OF congress. He is a rich
man, and politics as q money making profess
sion is nothing to him. He owns valuable
lands in the oil and gas regions of north
western Ohio, and he has stocks and bonds
galore Oberly, on tho other hand, is, as
visitor said of his hosts wine, "Poor, but
honest" He has been an editor, a member
of the Illinois legislature and political
writer. He is a man Ct considerable ability
and Of IN immense amount of good fellow
ship. THOMAS J. TODD.